When I was asked if I would take a look at the Atomic9 RumbleBuds I was intrigued. I’ve had the opportunity to check out a wide range of different kinds of earbuds but these were the first that claimed to be “gaming” earbuds that give you a “totally immersive, deep-reaching soundscape you love about your games and music.”

Let’s take a look GD Quickie-style…

From the Company-

Just because you’re on the go doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice that totally immersive, deep-reaching soundscape you love about your games and music. Feel the good vibrations of subwoofer-style bass wherever you are with RumbleBuds. Equipped with a rumble pack-style vibration system, the RumbleBuds deliver the same deep, throbbing bass line that rattles your windows at home. Pop in these sleek white earbuds and get ready to rock out and play on with serious intensity.

RumbleBuds double the drivers to double your sound. Two drivers in each ear deliver an ideal combination of crystal-clear audio and a booming subwoofer effect to bring your music, games and movies to life while you’re on the go. Featuring a self-supporting design that requires no external power source, these vibrating earbuds are a truly portable entertainment solution. Just plug into your Nintendo DS or XL, Sony PSP, iPod, iPhone, iTouch or an MP3, CD or DVD player, and crank that bass.

Truth be told I was unimpressed when I first saw the RumbleBuds. The packaging was cheap and the earbuds themselves… Well just take a look for yourself. There are rather square, lack a sense of style, don’t have an in-line microphone and feel on the cheap side. And because they are made form rigid plastic they aren’t all that comfortable, at least not for my ears. If I saw these on the shelf I don’t think I would even consider buying them.

They do, however, have something unusual going for them The RumbleBuds are so named because they have a “Self-supporting vibration mechanism requires no external power, so you can experience truly portable entertainment”.

I put them in. They sounded okay when playing music. Then I started playing Need For Speed Hot Pursuit. (Love that game!) The RumbleBuds sounded good. I increased the volume and… They sounded good. I then swapped them out for a pair of high-end earbuds. The difference was immediately apparent. The RumbleBuds don’t look or feel all that great in my opinion but they deliver what they promise… They really did make the gaming experience more immersive. While I wasn’t fully aware of their impact while using them I became totally aware of just how impactful they were when I switched to a pair of non-gaming earbuds.

Bottom line- if you love playing action games on a handheld and want a deeper, richer experience the $34.95 RumbleBuds can help.

Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”)Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him.